Sweden cancels controversial balloon test to artificially cool the Earth

sweden-cancels-controversial-balloon-test-artificially-cool-the-earth

The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has decided to cancel the controversial balloon test flight aimed to artificially cool the Earth due to growing concerns about its possible harmful effects on the ozone layer and the ecosystem. The flight was planned to launch in June 2021.

Stratospheric Controlled Perturbation Experiment (SCoPEx), is a scientific experiment to improve understanding of stratospheric aerosols that could be relevant to solar geoengineering. It is a project by Harvard scientists, which aims to fight global warming by mimicking the effect of volcanic eruptions to artificially cool the planet.

The project entails launching a high-altitude balloon to test its ability to carry a gondola with 600 kg (1 322 lbs) of material about 20 km (12 miles) high and release them in an effort to dim the sunlight by reflecting the radiation to space.

"SCoPEx builds on four decades of research on the environmental chemistry of the ozone layer in the Anderson/Keith/Keutsch groups. SCoPEx will use or adapt many of the high-performance sensors and flight-system engineering experience developed for this ozone research," according to the Keutsch Group at Harvard.

"Measuring the ways that aerosols alter stratospheric chemistry can, for example, improve the ability of global models to predict how large-scale geoengineering could possibly disrupt stratospheric ozone. Outdoor experiments can provide in situ perspective that is impossible to obtain in the laboratory and SCoPEx can help us validate important model parameters that have yet to been tested against measurements," the team explained.

Other private donors, including Bill Gates, have expressed their intent of support to this program. However, several environmental groups and critics raised their concern about the project's possible harmful effects on the ozone layer and the ecosystem, saying the method could be risky and dangerous for the planet.

Following the decision of experts, state-owned Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has called off the high-altitude balloon test on March 31. In a statement, the SCoPEx Advisory Committee officially announced the recommendation to postpone the test.

"The Committee has recommended to Harvard and the research team that any equipment test flights in Sweden need to be suspended until the Committee can make a final recommendation about those flights based on a robust and inclusive public engagement in Sweden."

"The Committee will conduct a listening-based engagement activity in Sweden in order to help the Committee understand Swedish and Indigenous perspectives and make an informed and responsive recommendation about the equipment test flights."

YouTube video

Johanna Sandahl, president of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, said she was relieved with the decision. "It’s a rejection of a technology with the potential for extreme consequences that could alter hydrological cycles, disrupt monsoon patterns and increase drought."

David Keith, a professor of applied physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a member of the SCoPEx project, remarked that Sweden's move was "a setback".

The team said it would use the coming months to try to gather support for an eventual test. If the project will be blocked in Sweden, Keith told Reuters that it could move to the United States likely in 2022.

"To conduct this engagement, we have recommended that the research team postpone the proposed platform launch until the Committee can complete the societal review. This will likely postpone the platform launch until 2022. We will continue to communicate updates in the coming weeks as this engagement process is defined."

Featured image credit: Pixabay

Share:

Commenting rules and guidelines

We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:

  • Treat others with kindness and respect.
  • Stay on topic and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.
  • Do not use abusive or hateful language.
  • Do not spam or promote unrelated products or services.
  • Do not post any personal information or content that is illegal, obscene, or otherwise inappropriate.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.

4 Comments

  1. Seeing as volcanoes are waking up and popping off worldwide this year, i don’t think sweden should have bothered in the first place…. 3rd day of snow in April in north east scotland right now

  2. I’m sure they will try to move it to another country. Hopefully no country will allow this nonsense. They already have a show about a train that goes around the world non stop as a mad scientist blocked out the sun as an experiment and sent the earth into a permanent ice age!!

  3. This is next to an article: Heavy snow leaves 7 000 households without power across Sweden and Finland
    But don’t worry–the “experts” on global warming have decided on their own that, even if nobody believes it, it is necessary to damage the earth’s ozone forever in order to cool the planet. Shouldn’t you ask literally everybody on the planet first before you go ahead and damage it for everybody? Or is it necessary just that Bill Gates give it his esteemed seal of approval?

  4. David Keith is also a founder/board member of Carbon Engineering, a Canadian company that creates technology to remove CO2 from air.
    He should be sent to Mars immediately to verify that his technologies can be used on other planets, before attempting to use them on Earth, with its 7.5 billion inhabitants.

Leave a Reply to Rose McCabe Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *